SportsLine’s Top Weekend Picks: Can Broncos Keep Up With Chiefs?

These two meet in Jacksonville every season, and while the favorite is 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings, I prefer the other trend in this series. The one that doesn’t see many points scored. The under is 5-2 during the previous seven years, but there’s more to it than that trend. In those seven seasons, the average total number of points scored has been 40.6 points per game. In those seven games, only once (2014) did these two combine for a total higher than this year’s total of 52. Look for that trend to continue.

This has proven to be a tricky spot for Notre Dame in the past. You might expect that to be the case this season with the Irish currently at No. 3 in the rankings and undefeated. I don’t think that will be the case, though. The Irish already had their sleepwalk performance against Pitt, and now they’ve had a bye week to help prepare for the Navy option attack. A Navy option attack that isn’t as explosive as it has been in recent seasons. Combine that with a Navy defense that hasn’t shown it can stop anyone, and the Irish should roll here.

Eagles QB Carson Wentz has played really well since coming back from injury, getting better every week. He has a 10-1 touchdown-interception ratio. The Jaguars would give the logos off the side of their helmets to have a quarterback play that well. There are some issues with the Jags this year, most of them stem from an offense that can’t sustain drives and turns the ball over. Expect the Eagles to right some wrongs in this one.

SportsLine Expert: Emory Hunt (12-9-1 in last 23 NFL ATS picks)

Patrick Mahomes (Photo Credit: Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, October 28, 2018, 1:00 ET

DENVER +10

The public is head-over-heels in love with Kansas City. It has pushed the line up to double digits, which has created an opening for underdog Denver. The Broncos have come out of a swoon with a narrow defeat against the perfect L.A. Rams and a demolishing of Arizona. The latter game was on a Thursday, and Denver should be rested. This marks its third meeting against QB sensation Patrick Mahomes, so the Broncos know him better than any other team. In fact, they led K.C. by 10 points early this season at home, only to fall by four points. All of which has generated a spread on steroids.

Drew Brees has completed 77 percent of his passes and has 13 TDs and zero INTs and is a MVP contender once again. Kirk Cousins isn’t too shabby, averaging just four yards fewer per game than his Saints counterpart, with one more TD and only three INTs. But the big difference here is the defenses they’ll be facing. New Orleans is tops in the NFL against the run, but the QB rating allowed is 112.2 — only the Buccaneers have been worse. Minnesota’s defensive QB rating is 91.0. The Vikings held Brees and the Saints to 24 and 19 points in two meetings last year. Cousins and the Vikes can keep up.